Never Let This Go
by Thine Dreamer Doth Take Flight
Summary: OC story for Sonic X. Feena the Fox. Lame at summaries, just read please.


_A/N: This is my first Sonic story, so go easy on me, please. This takes place after the Metarex have been defeated and everyone's back on Mobius in Sonic X. Yeah, only I added my OC, Feena the Fox, to the mix. If you hate OCs of any kind and are especially against Sonic OCs, then I advise you leave now. Also, if you hate any OC shipping with Shadow or Knuckles, this is not for you as there is mentioning of this in here. Now that that is out of the way, let us continue. Please read on, my friends!_

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><p><strong>Never Let This Go<strong>

Feena glanced up at the sky as she walked on the Angel Island to visit Knuckles and the Master Emerald. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, all of this was in danger of being lost to the Metarex in their quest to destroy all animal life, believing it to be in their nature to be destructive. Feena was all too glad to be back home; being stuck on a ship for that long and having her life in more danger than usual was not exactly her idea of a good time. She owed her life, as did everyone else, to the great sacrifice of Cosmo's actions in the end and the combined power of the Master Emerald, Super Sonic, and Super Shadow. They had saved the day for everyone in the galaxy.

The wind blew through her white fur and white-and-black striped hair—which in truth was also fur—but she ensured that it would not reveal her left eye to the world. That was where she bore the scar of one of Eggman's plans gone wrong from long ago. It was ugly and she preferred for the world not to see it. Never mind that her vision was fine. That was a miracle in itself. It was just a reminder of the past that she wanted to forget.

She didn't see Knuckles as she climbed the steps that led to where the shattered Master Emerald lay, but since he was its Guardian, he would not be far away. The Emerald had given all its power during that final battle against the Metarex, and it lay in pieces as a result of expending so much energy. Time would restore it to what it had once been, but Feena still saw it as beautiful regardless of what condition it was in. She knelt down beside it and grabbed one of its shards. It glowed with recognition in her hand, bringing a small smile to the fox's face that reached her brown eyes.

"I really don't see how you sleep on that thing," Knuckles remarked suddenly, standing behind Feena. "Whole or not, the Master Emerald is not the most comfortable of things."

"It's not physical comfort I seek with it," Feena said as she straightened and returned the shard to the pile. "I couldn't explain it to you even if I wanted to, but somehow being around the Master Emerald gives me a feeling of…peace, like I actually matter for something."

"You don't need it to tell you that. Your friends should be enough," Knuckles told her.

"Yeah, well, somehow…I still feel empty," Feena murmured, more to herself than to the crimson echidna. She forced a smile onto her face as she turned to her friend. "I brought lunch if you're interested. Thought you might need a companion that actually talks back since it can get a bit lonely up here by yourself."

Knuckles crossed his arms. "All right, what's it you want now?"

Feena did her best to look innocent. "Why, whatever do you mean, Knux? I don't want anything. Can't a friend be nice to a friend without wanting something in return?"

"Any other friend, maybe. But you, not likely," Knuckles replied.

"Well, now that you mention it, there is this one teeny-tiny thing…," Feena admitted. "I wanted to throw a concert to celebrate our victory over the Metarex. I know it's been a few weeks, but I know that Tails was still sore about what Cosmo did for us and I wanted to give the little guy some time to recover. I was thinking maybe…we could throw the concert here?"

"No," Knuckles declared firmly.

"Oh, come on, Knux! What harm could it do? Besides, the Master Emerald loves my music. I want it to be able to listen, too! Please, Knuckles!" Feena pleaded.

"I don't like for there to be large groups of people up here. In fact, I don't like for anyone to be up here. I like my solitude," Knuckles stated.

"Then why do you let me up here?" Feena shot back.

Knuckles' fazed reddened a bit. "Because…Because…Because the Master Emerald is fond of you and who am I as the Guardian to deny you passage to it?!"

"It was just a question. No need to lose your temper over it," Feena grumbled, her white tail flickering behind her as she rested her black-gloved hands on her hips. "It's just this one concert. There will be food and friends and that's it. I won't let anyone near the Master Emerald, you know I won't. And if anyone steps out of line I can easily put them back in it. C'mon, Knux. You know you can trust me."

This was true about Feena. Few Mobians were born with special talents. Tails could fly without wings by using his tails as a propeller. Cream could also fly because of her ears. Knuckles had his fists of doom that could dig through almost anything that no one wanted to be hit with. Shadow had his powers. And of course, Sonic had his speed. Feena was also lucky enough to inherit a talent—if she wanted, she could unleash a sonic shriek that could destroy anything in its path. She had long mastered that power, as had everyone else with their own talents, and could harness it in many ways. It was partially due to that talent that she had become a musician in the first place. Hence why she wanted to have a concert.

As for her being trustworthy, she was as attached to the Master Emerald as her Guardian friend. If she thought that someone was going to do something to it or its Protector, that person would be doomed to her piercing cry.

The echidna sighed. "Fine. But if anything happens, it'll be on your head."

Feena beamed and embraced her friend in her arms. "Thanks, Knux! You won't regret this!"

Knuckles found himself growing warm at her touch and was just glad that she couldn't see his face at that moment. She pulled away a few moments later and went to work pulling food out of the basket she had brought with her. Most of it was stuff he preferred but she didn't like. That was so like Feena, to think about others before she would think about herself.

"Well, are you gonna eat or not?" Feena demanded, glancing up at him. "Don't tell me that I brought all this up here for nothing. If so I'll get upset, and when I'm upset bad things happen." She said this with a teasing smile, so it wasn't really a threat. "Don't make me have to pout or beg, Knux. You know I don't like groveling to anyone."

Knuckles grinned. "Fine. If you insist…"

And even if she hadn't, he probably would have agreed, anyway. To lunch and the concert, that is…and maybe anything else. He couldn't fathom it, how he had become so close to one that kept to herself and would prefer to be alone. Perhaps it was because he was much the same and felt a connection? He wasn't sure and could never be sure. He would just have to accept it, for thinking about something that had no answer would just make him crazy. So he just sat there in front of the altar of the broken Master Emerald and enjoyed lunch with his 'friend' that he 'might wish to be more than that,' leaving things be in his mind to keep his sanity.

Now if only his heart would shut up.

* * *

><p>Feena left the Angel Island with a grin, happy with the result of her visit to the Master Emerald and its Guardian. Her concert was approved. All that was left was to invite the guests and get the place set up for the event. She was debating on most of the people. Tails was her best little friend, so of course he would be coming. Cream and Cheese would, too, and with them would probably be her mother Vanilla. Team Chaotix with Vector, Espio, and Charmy…eh, she wasn't so sure yet. Shadow had saved her life a few times up there in space, so she would invite him, but that didn't ensure that he would show up. Big the Cat and his friend Froggy, though they didn't go into space, were still some people she knew and was kinda on good terms with, so why not? As for Amy and Sonic…She'd rather neither of them show, but Sonic was a hero and not inviting him would have been wrong…and wherever he went, Amy was sure to follow.<p>

_Oh, how I hate hedgehogs, _Feena thought, though she really only didn't like those two.

A blue flash sped past her, bringing with it an unnatural breeze that could only be caused by someone running really, really fast. She clasped her hand over the fur covering her left eye to avoid its exposure while the speedster came to a stop a few yards ahead and spun around to her side within seconds. His charming grin was not welcome to her sight.

"Hey, Feena. What's up?" he greeted.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Feena grumbled, continuing on her way as if he wasn't there.

"Oh, come on. You can't still be giving me the cold shoulder after all we've been through," Sonic said, easily keeping pace with her. "You've got to get over whatever negative feelings you have towards me. I've never done a thing to you, you know. And after what happened with the Metarex, you can't really hate me."

"Hate is such a strong word, Sonic. I don't hate you. I just…don't like you that much," Feena amended. "And you're right. I don't dislike you as much as I used to because of what happened with the Metarex. But that doesn't change anything else. You're still a speedy little jerk that only cares about himself and defeating Doctor Eggman. The rest of us are just supposed to adore you and be your loyal friends while you leave us in the dust. You're wrong; you have done something to me. You know you have."

Sonic looked confused. "What did I do, then?"

"You turned my best friend into one of your relentless fan-girls and ruined her forever," Feena replied without looking at him. "Amy Rose was not the girl she is now until you rescued her from Eggman. I'm not saying she didn't need saving, but someone else should have done it. I could have done it had someone not been impatient to get it over with as quickly as possible. She may be a few years younger than me, but she understood me better than anyone once. Now she doesn't. Now she has an ill-temper and only thinks about what she can do to get your attention. That wouldn't be so bad if you didn't neglect her so much, making her feelings be for nothing. For a hero, you sure have a dark side."

"Whoa, hold on there, Feena! I was just doing what was right by saving Amy. I didn't expect for her to change this much or to adore me like this. I have no interest in her or anyone for that matter. I've made that clear to her, but she doesn't want to accept it. And I don't neglect her. I treat her just like all my friends," Sonic remarked.

Feena shook her head. "Exactly my point, Sonic. Your friends are hardly ever with you because you just want to go off and run by yourself all the time. You spend far more time with your enemies than you do with your friends. Like Shadow and Eggman. Shadow is a challenge because he can keep up with your speed. Eggman's just your nemesis and must be put down whenever he has an evil scheme. You've always gotta go fast and be the hero. That's all that matters to you. Maybe if you were slower then you would understand better what it's like. But you hate going slow. It's speed or nothing. It's a wonder that Chris took such a risk to see you again. Sure, he saved you and kept you hidden on Earth, but how often did you leave him in the dust just like the rest of us? I wonder."

"Hey, you don't need to drag Chris into this! He's gone and he's never coming back, so don't you talk bad about him!" Sonic snapped before regaining his cool. "Feena, you don't know me as well as you think you do. I'd hardly seen you until we needed to go into space to fight the Metarex, and that was only because Tails introduced us. You can't judge me so second-handedly like this. You have no idea how much I care about my friends, and that's not fair to either of us. You have to give me a chance, Feena. How do you want me to prove that I'm not this bad person you've made me out to be?"

Feena sighed and took a few steps forward. "I've wasted enough time on you. I have plans that can't be put off for this pointless conversation. Goodbye."

But Sonic was not to be dissuaded so easily and was in her path in a second. Getting around him would be difficult even with her own ability, and she really didn't want to get in a fight before her concert. If she showed up on the Angel Island covered in bruises, that would only get Knuckles angry and lead to another fight. And it wasn't like Sonic didn't have a point. She had only observed him in the distance before they really met in space. It wasn't really all that fair for her to judge him as she had been. Not that she really cared what was fair and what wasn't, but still…

"Fine. I'm having a concert on the Angel Island today at six. Be there at the same time as everyone else, and don't you run at all. And if Egg-head decides to show up, you stay the hell away from him and let someone else be the hero for once," Feena told him bluntly. "If you do that, then I might rethink some things about you and decide whether you're worth getting to know better. Think you'll be up to it?"

Sonic showed off his trademark grin. "I'm up for anything."

Feena rolled her eyes. "There's that smug look…"

"You can't hate me for this," Sonic pointed out.

"I can hate you for whatever I want. You have no say in my feelings," Feena stated, now able to walk around him without fear of getting in a fight. "Good day to you, Sonic. See you later."

"Right back at ya," Sonic said.

* * *

><p>Feena was in her garage now, getting her equipment ready to go up onto the Angel Island. She had managed to invite all of the people she wanted to except Shadow, who was missing. She had searched everywhere for him, even sneaking onto Eggman's turf to find him, but he was nowhere to be seen. She gave up, deciding it was for the best that she hadn't succeeded. That hedgehog had a dark past and kinda creeped her out…but he was also a kind soul under that hard exterior. Feena wouldn't go so far as to claim he was a friend, but a part of her wished he was and more.<p>

A shadow flittered behind her; she noticed it but acted like she didn't while reaching into a drawer to grab her gun. The shadow floated nearer. She waited until it was close before spinning around and aiming her weapon at its cause. She would have liked nothing better than to pull that trigger when she saw who it was, but what would result wouldn't be worth the blood on her hands. Reluctantly, Feena lowered her weapon, but she didn't put it away.

"What the hell are you doing here, Rouge?" Feena demanded vehemently.

The bat landed several feet in front of her, looking vain as always as she rested her hand casually on her hip. "Chill, girly. I'm not here to cause problems. I just heard you were looking for Shadow and thought I'd see why. See, I know where he is. And if the price is right, I may be willing to let you know, too."

"The hell you will!" Feena growled. "Get out of here now before you give me reason to shoot you!"

Rouge smirked. "What, is the little fox still sore about me stealing her boyfriend? That was months ago, girly. You really gotta get over that. I can't help it if the boys are attracted to me. I'm just really good looking. Maybe if you would doll yourself up a bit you'd attract them, too, rather than repel them."

"Shut your damn mouth! You're on my property and trespassing! I have every right on Mobius to take you down or call the authorities! And you know how effective my screech is when it comes to you!" At this, Rouge winced in remembrance of too much noise going through her super-sensitive ears. "I suggest you leave now before I'm forced to go all out on your ass!"

"Feisty, aren't we? Well, I'm not one to stay where I'm not wanted, so you don't have to worry about me. But if you want to know where Shadow is so you can invite him to this concert of yours, I can tell you," Rouge offered.

"Why would you want to tell me anything? And how do you know what I'm up to?" Feena wanted to know.

"It's obvious by how you're getting your guitar and equipment ready at the same time as your fellow band members. And as to your other question…Well, let's just say that sometimes I can be good, too," Rouge replied. "If you want to find that handsome hedgehog, he's hanging around the Green Hill Zone. But I'd hurry if I were you. He doesn't like to stay in one place for too long."

"…Thanks for the tip," Feena grumbled as Rouge took to the sky again.

"Don't mention it, girly," Rouge said before she was gone again.

Tails walked in shortly after her departure with the Blue Typhoon parked outside as it had been for some time. The yellow fox had heard Feena yelling and hadn't wanted to intrude on their conversation. He smiled warmly at her and she couldn't help but return the gesture with one of her own, though she really wasn't all that happy. Arguing with first Sonic and now Rouge had put her in a foul mood. With any luck that would change before her concert. If not, her emotions would reflect in her singing and that wouldn't be good for anyone.

He didn't ask any questions; he just started loading her things into his plane like he had come to do. She liked Tails for that. Naturally he was inquisitive, but if something didn't involve him he kept his nose out of it. It was more than she could say for some of her other friends. They were much too concerned with her life to think that maybe she might want to keep some aspects of it to herself.

"Thanks, Tails," she said as she placed her guitar into the Blue Typhoon.

"For what?" Tails asked.

"For this…and for being you," she replied, hugging her two-tailed friend.

Tails smiled. "Who else could I be but me? But you're welcome, anyway." He was released a moment later, and he stood awkwardly kicking the dirt with the toe of his shoe. "So…Are you going to go look for Shadow again?"

"It's getting late. I still have so much to do concerning this concert. I wasted enough time looking for him before. If he wanted me to find him, I would have found him already," Feena remarked. She sighed. "Looking for him isn't important. Friends that actually care matter. He can wait for another time."

"But Feena-!"

"No buts, Tails. Don't assume you know anything about my feelings," Feena warned.

"I'm not assuming anything, I swear!" Tails claimed. "But…I do know that you care a great deal about Shadow. You should go look for him again. I can cover for you. If I can build a spaceship with you, then I think I can handle setting up this stuff by myself. And Vanilla and Cream are taking care of the food, so you'll be all set. Besides, if you don't pursue this now, you might regret it later. Trust me. I know about this stuff."

Feena looked uncertain. "You sure about this?"

"Sure I'm sure! I've never been more sure about anything!" Tails stated.

The white fox sighed again. "All right. If you're this sure, then who am I to let you down? If you need any help setting this stuff up, Star and Fang will be there to give you a hand. I shouldn't take long. Rouge probably gave me false information, anyway. But regardless, I should show before the concert starts." She gave him one last squeeze. "Thanks again, Tails."

Tails grinned. "Good luck, Feena."

* * *

><p>Shadow stood on a hill, looking out into the distance with a red Chaos Emerald in his left hand. He was indeed in the Green Hill Zone as Rouge had informed Feena, but he was not going to be there much longer. He had found what he had come here to find and had no further reason to stay. Six other Emeralds remained to be found where Sonic had hid them. He had to act fast before his rival could find out about his movements.<p>

He turned to leave, but he heard someone calling his name in the distance. This was peculiar indeed, for no one knew he was in this place and most of the people that lived here were too wrapped in their own worlds to realize he was here. The voice was feminine but unidentifiable from this distance. He stood there a moment, trying to place it only to find himself thinking about his past again. He swore and clenched his fists. Why couldn't he go a single day without remembering the people he had lost? First it was Maria some fifty years ago…and then it was Molly. Every person he ever became attached to died. It just wasn't fair.

In his mind's eye, he saw both women. Maria Robotnik, in some relation to his creator the grandfather of Doctor Eggman, with her blonde hair and blue eyes staring at him as she released him into space to save him from being grabbed by the government. Molly, with her light orange-brown hair and fighting spirit, giving her life to see the Metarex defeated for destroying her home world. Women that sacrificed everything to protect what was closest to them and wormed their way into his heart…gone forever. He wished he could forget them for even just a day, but their memory was something he could never let go.

He closed his eyes as he remembered. _Maria..._

"Shadow!" that voice called again, only closer now, bringing him back into the present.

He found the one calling his name, the white fox Feena. She was not far from him—in fact, she was standing on the ground just under the hill on which he stood—and was looking for him for some reason. He had not known her for long, nor had she him; they had only met during the Metarex confrontation. She was a strange person. Once she had protected the Doctor's ship and himself when the Metarex had launched an attack with her sonic shriek, despite the fact that they were her enemies and the energy she used in doing so left her at their mercy. While onboard their ship, she had attempted to understand him, to discover what drove him to follow Eggman's orders so willingly. She had her reasons for not liking Eggman—that scar on her left eye, for one—but she wouldn't let that influence him. Everyone, she had said, was entitled to their own opinions when it comes to people in their life.

She may be strange, but there was one good thing about her. She didn't very much like Sonic, either.

"Shadow! Shadow! Shadow!" Feena shouted, getting impatient as she unknowingly turned her back on the hill that the dark hedgehog was standing. "Oh, I should have known better that to follow the directions of that rat with wings! He's not here and I just wasted a bunch of my time thinking he was! I'm stupid for even thinking that Rouge would tell me the truth! When I get my hands on that rat, there's gonna be some serious hell to pay!"

Feena continued to rant, and oddly enough her rant amused Shadow. Rouge and this one didn't quite get along due to things in their past…something about the bat taking the fox's boyfriend, if he recalled correctly. Rouge teased her about it, which just further pissed Feena off. It seemed that she had really loved that man stolen from her. Shadow knew all too well how it felt to have something he loved stolen from him and could therefore relate.

It was best to find out what she wanted before she could kill Rouge, so Shadow moved to encounter her.

"-and then I'll clip her wings off and shove them so far up her-!" Feena exclaimed violently as she continued her rant, painting a colorful image of what she would do to Rouge for lying to her.

"Why are you looking for me?" Shadow asked, startling the fox by his sudden appearance.

"Oh…Well, I was wondering…if you might want to join me and a few others at the Angel Island," Feena said nervously, as she was embarrassed by his having heard her screaming. "There's going to be a concert to celebrate our victory over the Metarex, and I thought that maybe you would like to come. You are, after all, part of the reason we won. If it wasn't for you, Sonic, and Cosmo, we…wouldn't be here."

"No thank you," Shadow muttered politely. "But I appreciate you thinking of me."

Feena's face reddened at that. "Um…Yeah. You're…You're welcome." She swallowed hard and regained her composure. "You might want to watch your back, though. Rouge has been stalking you. She tipped me off to where you were."

"So you shouted," Shadow observed, furthering Feena's embarrassment.

"Well, I should be going. I've got somewhere to be," Feena murmured as she turned to leave with a defeated look on her face. "Good day to you, Shadow."

She had only taken a few steps when Shadow spoke again.

"Why would you go through so much trouble just to get a negative response from someone who's an outcast here?" he asked, making her turn around again. "None of your friends care much for me. I am the tool of Doctor Eggman to be used against you all. Yet you come for me like I am just like them. Why do you do so, Feena?"

The white fox blushed and fidgeted behind her back. "…Well…Because I don't think of you as something to be used by Eggman. You are your own person. You make your own decisions and he can't control everything you do. And…I thought we connected when I was Eggman's prisoner. Maybe we're not friends yet…but we understand each other just a bit more than anyone else does. I don't know what we are, honestly. But I…I just want you to know there's someone in this galaxy…who's thinking about you in a positive light. Even if you are an outcast. You're not alone in this world."

Shadow seemed less than fazed by her words. "You're a fool."

Feena's brow furrowed in irritation. "A fool I may be, but at least I care."

The dark hedgehog turned away from her. He heard her sigh and wondered what the silly little fox was feeling. Her emotions played out so easily in her eyes, but he was not willing to see them now.

"Look, Shadow. You don't have to be alone just because you're in pain. That just leads to depression. Take it from someone who knows. I thought you should be around people in a social setting. That's why I went through all of this trouble. I'm not expecting anything from you. I wasn't expecting anything from the beginning. But if you change your mind, we'll be on the Angel Island. If you come I'll be glad for it. If you don't, that's your decision and I won't hold it against you," Feena stated. "Good day, Shadow."

The world fell silent as the white fox departed without her victory. Shadow watched her go, puzzled by this creature that had come to him. He assumed she knew what his answer would be, and yet she had still come. Her reasons were pure. She wanted him to not be alone…and she had a crush on him. That much was clear even to he who did not spend much time with her. She cared too much about him, and that unnerved him. Who was she to open her heart to him? Spending a few hours with him and exchanging some memories from the past did not win her entrance into his heart. Still, he wasn't about to pull a Sonic and neglect her for her feelings like she was Amy. No. He was a different hedgehog than that blue hero. He would confront her to put any hopes she had to rest before her feelings grew to consume her as they had the pink hedgehog.

So, despite what he had just told Feena, he would be attending her concert, after all.

* * *

><p>The place was full of the invited guests by the time Feena arrived. They were making light conversation with one another while getting refreshments, awaiting the band's music to fill the air. The other two members of her band, Star the Koala and Fang the Jackal, were mingling as well to pass the time. It wasn't quite six yet, so that made sense. They would become all business when the hour came. Then her worries would be drowned out by the music.<p>

She sighed and leaned against a nearby tree. All she could think about was how Shadow had turned her down and called her a fool…

"Hey there, Feena," Sonic said, walking towards her with Amy trailing not far behind.

"Walking for once? Heh, I guess you really want to prove yourself," Feena commented with a small smile.

"Well, I am one to keep my word about these kinda things," Sonic replied. "I noticed you were looking a bit glum, so I thought I'd bring a friend over. I think you used to know her really well before I interfered. Correct me if I'm wrong."

"Oh, Sonic, stop kidding around! Feena knows who I am. We were best friends back when I was just a kid," Amy stated as she approached the white fox. Her green eyes made contact with the fox's brown ones, something they hadn't done on peaceful terms for a long time. "Feena was awesome back then. She was sixteen and I was twelve, and yet she still wants to be my friend. Then Eggman kidnapped me. I know she tried to get there to save me, but you beat her to the punch. I admired you for that…Well, crushed on you is probably the better way of putting it. And I forgot about my best friend because you were all I could think about." Amy paused and lowered her gaze. "Feena, I'm really sorry that I abandoned you. I was a silly girl driven by emotion to obsess over Sonic. I wasn't thinking about anyone but myself and him. Until now, I could never understand why you hated me and Sonic…but now it's clear. I'm not asking for you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know I understand."

Feena turned away from Amy and looked instead at Sonic. "You told her what I said, didn't you?"

"I thought you might want a second chance with your best friend," Sonic told her.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but my best friend from yonder years is dead. That Amy Rose and this one are two different people. It's irreversible; there's no turning back. I could stand the twelve-year-old Amy, but I can't stand being in the same room as sixteen-year-old Amy for more than a minute. I'm sorry, Sonic, but she's changed too much for me. Take her back," Feena grumbled, walking away from the duo.

Amy lost her temper then and ran after her, cutting her off just as Sonic had done earlier that day. "Now hold on just a minute, missy! You act like I'm the only one that's changed, but I'm not! You've changed a lot, too! I can't even recognize you as the same person I knew when I was younger! You can't judge me without first looking at yourself, you know! That's just wrong!"

"I have looked at myself. I know I've changed. I've lost my weaknesses and learned from my mistakes. I know who my real friends are compared to those that would just hurt me. People like Tails and Knuckles are real; they'll be a part of my life forever. But people like you and Rouge are not to be trifled with. Mingling with your kind will only end with pain," Feena stated.

"Pain? You think I cause pain?" Amy demanded. "I'll show you!"

"Amy, cut it out!" Sonic exclaimed as the pink hedgehog pulled out her Piko-Piko Hammer, jumping in to pull his admirer away from Feena.

"But Sonic, she's insulted me and she insulted you earlier! I can't let her get away unscathed!" Amy claimed.

"I'm not unscathed. You hurt me when you left to pursue a boy that could never see you as more than a friend, and that is a wound that will never close," Feena remarked. "Every time I see him deflect one of your advances, it hurts me. When will you accept that he doesn't want you? He doesn't want to settle down. He wants to keep running free. No girl is going to tie him down, especially not someone with your anger issues. If you'd just open your eyes and accept it, we'd both be able to move on."

"How is my love life coming to an end supposed to help you move on?" Amy wanted to know, trying to get past Sonic to swing her Piko-Piko Hammer.

"Because then I'll know that letting you go wasn't for nothing," Feena replied. "Sonic, let her go. I can handle myself in a fight against her. Besides, you might be needed to hold back Knuckles if he sees me getting into a fight. That echidna is way too protective of good friends like me."

"You're not even worth fighting!" Amy declared. "I just wanna hit you to shut you up!"

"Cover your ears, Sonic," Feena advised.

"Oh crap. Now you've done it," Sonic mumbled backing away from Amy and doing what Feena had told him to do.

Amy charged at Feena, hammer ready to bash her in the face. But her rage could not help her in beating her foe's strong screech that she unleashed then. The force of the sound waves knocked Amy back and hurt her ears. Instinctively she put her hands over her ears to block out as much of the sound as she could, dropping her Piko-Piko Hammer as she did so. Feena grabbed it from the ground and ceased her shriek, granting everyone on the island peace as she did so. She walked away from the groveling hedgehog, passing the hammer over to Sonic as she did so.

"Perhaps next time you'll think before you pick a fight," Feena said. "Best friend."

She walked onstage in front of the altar that held the Master Emerald. Upon hearing Feena's screech, orange-furred Star and jade-furred Fang had returned to their instruments. Star was a master of the keyboard whereas Fang was a drums-jackal and the leader of the band was a guitarist. Feena grabbed her instrument and approached the front microphone in its stand. She smiled at her audience despite its size and their expressions after seeing what she had done to Amy.

"Good evening, everyone," Feena greeted, the speakers making her voice carrying. "I hope you all were having a good time before that little altercation back there. Sorry, but you know how Amy can be. Anyway, I invited you all here for this little celebration of how we're still alive because of our victory over the Metarex. It wasn't easy and many lives were sacrificed along the way, but those sacrifices were not for nothing. Let us rejoice with some music now and remember those lost not with tears, but with smiles."

And she began to play her guitar and sing with the other members of her band. They played songs of their own creation and ones from Mobius…and even some from Earth thanks to Tails thinking about Feena while on Earth. After the first few songs the band took requests from the audience. The look on everyone's face when Big requested Down With the Sickness by Disturbed was priceless and well worth it, too, even though Vanilla had to cover Cream's ears and Vector did the same for Charmy. Everything was just fine. Everyone was enjoying themselves, even sore Amy and grumpy Knuckles and the mysterious Shadow who was ironically hiding in the shadows out of sight, waiting for the right moment to confront Feena.

But some jerk just had to interrupt.

Without warning, a giant robot armed to the teeth fell onto the Angel Island. Everyone ran to avoid being crushed as its massiveness destroyed the table with the food and the stage with all its instruments and equipment. And who was in control of this gigantic robot that had ruined their get-together? Well, Doctor Eggman, of course! Decoe and Bocoe, along with Bokkun, sat in the cockpit of this robot with their boss. Eggman was sneering sinisterly without care of what he had done.

Feena wished she could say the same.

"You bastard! You just destroyed my stuff! You have any freaking idea how much that stuff cost?!" she screamed, smoke practically coming out of her ears.

"We're sorry, Feena!" Decoe called.

"Yeah, really sorry!" Bokkun agreed.

"Very sorry!" Bocoe concurred.

"Oh, quit sucking up! We came to this place to destroy Sonic, not make goo-goo eyes at some pretty fox lady!" Eggman reminded them. "And you might be sorry for destroying her things, but I sure ain't! And there's nothing she can do about it, either!"

"You wanna bet?!" Feena challenged, focusing her sonic blast on one point as she opened her mouth to let her power out. Normally that would put a huge dent in one of Eggman's robots, but it didn't work this time. "What the hell?!"

Eggman laughed. "Sorry, dear, but I've enforced this one to withstand your attacks. Sonic's and Knuckles' wouldn't very well work much, either. See, I've taken extra care to ensure the destruction of you annoying pests. This time, there won't be any screw-ups."

"Oh, but do we have to destroy her? She was so kind to us when she was our prisoner," Decoe reminisced.

"She made me cookies," Bokkun recalled, drooling.

"And she treated us better than you have, Doctor," Bocoe chimed in.

"Shut up! I don't care how great you three think she is, she's going down!" Eggman declared. "Fire up the lasers and let's exterminate these pests!"

"Yes sir," the robots and mutated Chao muttered, defeated.

Lasers began to rain down on the crowd. Sonic let his promise to Feena fade away and jumped into action to get the people out of there that couldn't fight all that well. Knuckles went after the robot despite what Eggman had said about it being resistant to their attacks, fulfilling his duty as the Guardian of the Master Emerald now that it and his friends were in danger. Amy tried to help, but Sonic shooed her away, claiming this battle was over her head, so she left with the others. Only Knuckles and Sonic would have stayed to fight Eggman normally, but Shadow was still there in the shadows and Feena was too pissed to think straight.

"Get out of here, Feena!" Knuckles shouted as they were forced to dodge another round of ammunition.

"Screw that! I'm not leaving the fighting up to you boys after what this bastard did to my equipment! He's gonna pay!" Feena snapped.

"But I don't want you to get hurt!" Knuckles remarked.

"Don't worry about her! She'll be fine! Worry about yourself!" Sonic advised. He tried to cut his way through the robot, only to be as unsuccessful as Knuckles and Feena. "Damn! He really outdid himself with this one, did he? Well, we'll find a way to beat him just like we always do!"

"Egg-head always makes a mistake somewhere…We just have to find out where he made it here!" Feena stated. She glanced up at the glass covering that allowed Eggman and his minions to view them. "Hey, can glass ever be stronger than metal?!"

"I don't think so…Why?" Sonic asked.

Feena pointed at the cockpit. "I think I just found this robot's weakness. The glass might be reinforced to withstand our normal attacks, but if I can just get a hole in it, I could use my power to deafen him and get in to destroy the thing from the inside."

"And how do you plan to make a hole in something that can withstand our brute force?" Knuckles demanded.

At this, Feena pulled out her mike. She pushed a button on the side and a bright red laser shot out to the ground, burning through what it touched. "It should be enough to burn through Eggman's glass at the least. I'll cut my way in and do what needs to be done. And Egg-head is gonna pay for what he did! Through physical pain and finance, cuz while I'm in there I'm stealing his wallet!"

Sonic sweat-dropped. "The lesson today…Never destroy Feena's musical equipment."

"Knuckles, I'm going to need you to throw me in the air while Sonic distracts Egg-head. Aim at the cockpit and don't you miss. We have this one shot. I trust you'll make it."

The echidna didn't look so sure. "Feena, there has to be another way."

"There is no way, Knux. And stop acting like this is suicide. I've survived much worse. Don't let your feelings get in the way," Feena reprimanded. She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I know we can do this, even if it means I have to work with the spotlight hog that I don't like all that much."

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Sonic exclaimed.

Knuckles sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. But if you fall it's on your head."

Feena smiled. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Knux."

Another barrage of ammunition came pouring down, forcing them to separate to dodge it. Sonic began with the plan, doing everything he could to focus Eggman's attention on him and only him. He even went so far as to insult his mother, whom he had never met. That gave Knuckles enough time to get in the best area to launch Feena. He hoisted her in the air, took aim, and launched her with all of his strength, sending her flying up towards the cockpit.

"My mother does not have a mustache, you impudent little rodent!" Eggman exclaimed in response to an insult from Sonic, slamming all the controls to launch a crap load of missiles and lasers and pianos at the blue hedgehog. "And I was not found under a rock and beaten with an ugly stick! Where do you come up with this stuff?!"

Sonic dodged it all and came to a stop in front of the robot. "I do have one more thing to say before you're defeated."

"Yeah, and what's that?" Eggman wanted to know.

"I hope Feena shows some mercy when she gets to you," Sonic said.

"Feena? Mercy? What are you blathering about now?" Eggman demanded.

"Uh, Doctor, I believe he's blathering about the fox on the window," Decoe put in.

Eggman finally spotted the fuming white fox hanging onto his 'window' as his robot had put it cutting through the glass with a laser. Her expression made him shudder in fear. He had only equipped this robot with weapons and armor resistant to their attacks. He hadn't thought of them managing to cling to the robot. He couldn't exactly use his ammo on his own bot, could he? No, that might damage it where his foes had failed. Well, was damaging the bot worth saving his hide?

"We're getting out of here before she can come in and give me rabies!" Eggman declared, his little hover ride popping out of the floor of the cockpit. "If you want to live, climb in now! We're gonna blow this baby into the sky!"

Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun quickly climbed in with the doctor just as Feena managed to get a hole big enough for her to get inside the robot. He pushed a button to remove the glass at the top so he could fly out. Feena sent her angry screech following after him, but it didn't do as much damage as she would have liked. He hovered a good twenty feet away from her and high enough off the ground that Sonic and Knuckles couldn't get him, holding a remote in his hand. Shadow knew what that meant Eggman was about to do and he didn't like it.

"It was a good robot while it lasted, but I think it's time to be rid of it. I might not have succeeded in destroying you yet, Sonic, but at least I can get rid of one of you annoying rodents. Say goodbye, Feena," Eggman gloated as his finger hit the only button on the remote—a big red square button.

The robot self-destructed, blowing high and wide into the sky. Eggman's ride got hit with debris but still managed to stay afloat. Knuckles and Sonic were forced to dodge debris. They couldn't believe their eyes. Feena had still been in the bot when it went boom, and now she was nowhere to be seen. Knuckles ran to the place where the robot had been standing and started searching, not wanting to believe what his eyes had shown him. It was a trick. She was still alive. She had to be!

Eggman sneered evilly while Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun wailed at the nice fox's destruction. Sonic glared vehemently up at his nemesis and would have attacked him had a pink hedgehog not popped up out of thin air and struck him with her Piko-Piko Hammer. Eggman and his Egg Mobile went spinning away in the air as a result only to disappear in the distance. Sonic would have lectured Amy any other time for not listening to him, but one look into her eyes kept the words in his throat. She was crying because she thought her once best friend was dead. She had stuck around to see the fireworks. Instead of telling her how dangerous it had been for her to stay, he opened her arms and let her in like a friend should.

Tails walked up behind them, but he wasn't crying. He looked like he knew something they didn't, something he had seen that they had failed to see with their eyes peeled to the exploding robot. Like Amy, he had decided to stay in case his friends needed him. He headed towards Knuckles to end his pointless search for someone that wasn't there. Curious to his little buddy's knowledge, Sonic followed with Amy still clinging to him.

The yellow fox laid a hand on Knuckles' shoulder. "She's not here, Knuckles."

"She has to be…She can't be gone…," Knuckles cried.

"It's not fair! The last thing I ever said to her was so mean! 'I just wanna hit you to shut you up' is what I said! And now she's gone!" Amy whined.

"But guys, she's not dead, either." This got Tails odd glances from the other three. "I guess you didn't see it. Feena invited Shadow here, too. He showed up sometime during the concert—I'm not sure when or if Feena even knew—but stayed hidden because of who he is."

"What does he have to do with Feena?" Knuckles demanded.

"He had a Chaos Emerald and teleported into the robot in time to save her from being blown up," Tails explained. "I saw it all. While you were too busy watching the robot blow up, I actually thought about the possibilities and looked around. Chaos Control is a nifty thing to have when you've got a girl on your shoulder."

"Wait…Shadow and Feena are dating?" Amy asked, confused.

"No, but Feena wishes they were," Sonic teased.

"So Feena's okay? Well, that's good to hear," Knuckles muttered, regaining his composure.

"You so like her," Amy taunted.

Knuckles' face reddened. "I do not! She's just a friend! That's all!"

"Yeah, but you wish she was more," Sonic remarked.

The red echidna crossed his arms. "Oh, shut up!"

"Wait. If Shadow saved Feena, where are they now?" Amy wondered.

"That's something I don't know," Tails admitted.

"Well, wherever they are, I'm sure they're fine," Sonic said.

* * *

><p>Feena was surprised to find herself not dead. Eggman had said he was blowing his robot up and pushed a button, which should have ended her life. But somehow now she was in Shadow's arms back where they had met before, in the Green Hill Zone. Her big question of how this was achieved was answered when she saw the crimson Chaos Emerald in his hand. He set her back on her feet nicely as if he thought she couldn't stand on her own. She was more concerned about him. Chaos Control was tiring; she'd seen it happen with him and Sonic before. True, she usually saw it with all seven Chaos Emeralds, but she knew that Shadow had powers greater than the blue hedgehog's and could therefore use one in more ways than Sonic.<p>

"Are you okay?" they asked each other at the same time.

"I wasn't the one almost blown up," Shadow pointed out.

"Yes, but you did teleport us out of there, which is exhausting," Feena countered.

"It was minor. I will be fine," Shadow muttered.

"So will I," Feena said, crossing her arms.

They stood staring at each other in silence for a moment. Then Feena's legs started hurting and she chose to sit with her back to Shadow, pulling her legs up to her chest. Her tail seemed to have a mind of its own as it moved to touch Shadow. He stepped back and the fatigue of using the Chaos Emerald to teleport came down on him hard. He ended up having to sit on the hill right beside her.

"So…You came after all," Feena noted. "What made you change your mind?"

"I had to tell you something. I was just looking for the proper time to confront you," Shadow told her. "Feena, I know you have feelings for me. It's quite obvious, more so than you might think. But I need to make something very clear to you. I don't feel the same way for you. The only thing you and I may ever be is acquaintances or maybe even friends, but nothing more. I thought it would be better to tell you know before you became to me what Amy is to Sonic. It would hurt less now than later."

Feena's heart ached but she kept her emotions inside and in her eyes where Shadow saw them. "I understand, Shadow. You're still in love with Maria and you can't let her go. Who am I to try and get in between that? And even if you had managed to move on, there's Molly. You've lost two people you've loved. I understand."

"I know you do. Rouge stole someone you loved from you. He may not be dead, but in your heart he is," Shadow murmured.

The white fox sighed. "Yeah…I never thought she could steal Spike. Never even suspected it. But then I walked into the room and there they were in all their nude glory. Next thing I know he's leaving me for that rat. It's not the same as him dying…But it still hurts so damn bad. What really rubs salt in the wound was that we were engaged to be married this year. That bitch took him even with the ring around his finger."

This surprised Shadow. "You were engaged? Aren't you a little young for that?"

"I'm twenty. That's old enough for me, sir," Feena remarked. "I still have the ring, too. Was gonna pawn it off, but my stupid heart wouldn't let me. Maybe now I'll have no choice since that stupid Egg-head destroyed my stuff. That equipment and those instruments were not cheap. How am I ever going to replace all of them?"

"You could use Doctor Eggman's money," Shadow suggested, pulling Eggman's wallet out for Feena to take.

"Did you get this while getting me out of there?" Feena asked in amazement as she took the wallet and started going through its contents.

Shadow shrugged. "I had a few milliseconds to spare and thought you could use it more than the explosion."

"That was nice of you," Feena complimented, pocketing the wallet in her pants' pocket. "Are you sure there's no chance of us being more than friends?"

"No chance," Shadow stated bluntly, putting her down. He managed a smile. "But being friends is better than being alone."

Feena smiled, too. "Always, Shadow."

Her tail touched with his, and she thought he would move away, but he hardly even noticed. She glanced up to see the sun set and rested her head on her new friend's shoulder; he didn't pay that much attention, either. His crimson eyes found the sun set to be a wondrous spectacle, because for the first time in a long time, it didn't leave him remembering those he had lost and feeling alone in this dark world. Feena was there to bring her own light to the darkness, a warm comforting light that he couldn't help but cling to.

_Perhaps there is a chance for you yet,_ Shadow thought, but it was fleeting.

* * *

><p><em>AN: End of story. What did you think? Please tell me, but don't flame me. Constructive criticism is welcome, but not flames. Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!_


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